Scanlan: Turris has been a reliable force at centre for the Senators

Kyle Turris #7 of the Ottawa Senators fires the puck against Alexander Edler #23 of the Vancouver Canucks during an NHL game at Canadian Tire Centre on November 3, 2016 in Ottawa.Francois Laplante/FreestylePhoto / Getty Images

When Kyle Turris was acquired by the Senators from the erstwhile Phoenix Coyotes in December 2011, he was asked to provide depth down the middle.

Jason Spezza was still entrenched as the No. 1 centre, but second centre Mike Fisher had been traded away as part of a rebuilding program. Turris was a steal — then-general manager Bryan Murray got him for defenceman David Rundblad and a second-round draft pick.

Five years later, even as the Senators strive to develop a top centre from within, the question has to be asked: Where would they be without Turris?

Coming off a wretched 2015-16 season in which he tried to play through a high ankle sprain before finally shutting his season down in late February, Turris leads Ottawa in goals with six in 13 games.

On what has been an anemic offence, Turris is third in team scoring with eight points, behind Erik Karlsson’s 10 and the nine by this year’s revelation at forward — Ryan Dzingel.

Other than last season when he was limited to 57 games, Turris has been Mr. Reliable — finishing in the top three in club scoring in each of his four complete Ottawa seasons.

In the 48-game 2012-13 season, Turris led the team in scoring with 29 points.

For several years, the Senators have sought a big, skilled centre in the manner of an Alexei Yashin or Spezza. In 2011, they drafted 6-foot-2, 215-pound centre Mika Zibanejad, but, tiring of his inconsistency, traded him to the New York Rangers for veteran centre Derick Brassard last summer.

Brassard was acquired to be a ‘1A’ centre with Turris and has played well between Bobby Ryan and Mark Stone, yet Brassard has just one goal to go with five assists.

When the game is on the line in overtime or the shootout, the 27-year-old Turris is first over the boards for a team now 4-0 in extra time. He scored a sensational game winner in OT versus Carolina, his second GWG of the season. Wednesday in Buffalo, Turris beat Robin Lehner with a shootout goal that led to Ryan’s winner moments later.

One of these years, a big, imposing centre will take up shop in Ottawa, perhaps when Logan Brown, the 6-foot-6 player drafted from the OHL Windsor Spitfires this past summer, is ready. Highly regarded Colin White, a six-foot centre at Boston College, is another with a potentially heady future with the Senators.

Perhaps then Turris will revert to a secondary role. Meanwhile, the cap-friendly 6-foot-1 centre with the high hockey IQ will keep doing his thing, quietly playing more minutes than any other forward, nearly 20 minutes per game. The Senators would be in trouble without him.

DORION SCORES

Not a lot was made of GM Pierre Dorion’s acquisition of backup goaltender Mike Condon. On social media, the move was met with a lot of “Mike who?” references. In an emergency situation, with Craig Anderson briefly away on personal leave and Andrew Hammond out with a groin injury, Condon has played out of his mind. While two games is a small study sample, Condon has given up just one goal in the two games, stopped 58 of 59 shots and delivered two wins on nights when the Senators easily could have lost both games (to Vancouver and Buffalo).

SORRY SABRES

Coaches love to say injuries are no excuse, but injuries seem likely to kill whatever hopes the Buffalo Sabres had of making the playoffs. The omen: franchise forward Jack Eichel suffering a high ankle sprain in practice Oct. 12, the day the NHL season launched. Shortly after, winger Evander Kane suffered cracked ribs (he returned to face Ottawa Wednesday) and this week, centre Ryan O’Reilly suffered an injury and Tyler Ennis underwent groin surgery and will be out for weeks. That’s 1-2-3 centres, gone.

And defenceman Zach Bogosian is out of the lineup with a sprained MCL.

O’Reilly’s injury is not expected to be long term, but the others are, already giving Buffalo’s season a ‘wait-til-next-year’ feel.

HOLY MACKINAW

I see the Hamilton Tiger-Cats held their first closed practice of the season earlier this week.

That should make all the difference in the world against the visiting Edmonton Eskimos this weekend in the CFL East semifinal.

Or not.

The Eskies are likely to show what we’ve seen all season, that the West Division is deeper, and an Edmonton-Ottawa ‘East’ Final would not be a surprise.

ACTION JACKSON

Redblacks wide receiver Ernest Jackson was an inspired choice as the CFL East nominee for Most Outstanding Player. Beyond the 1,225 yards and 10 touchdowns, what I liked most about Jackson was the way he stepped up after Chris Williams went down with a torn ACL in early October.

Jackson became the go-to guy for quarterback Henry Burris. Incredibly, Jackson was not charged with a dropped pass all season.

KEEP GOING

Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell (coach-of-the-year candidate) was wise to hold short practices this week, even though they don’t play until Nov. 20. In their three-year CFL history, the RBs have shown a tendency to play horribly after a bye week.

Campbell wants to keep his team sharp, keep them in town, and thinking of that pending playoff game.

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